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TAMPA — The former real estate services director for Hillsborough County has pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with personal loan documents, according to U.S. Attorney Robert E. O'Neill.
Anthony Haynes, 53, of Seffner, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and faces up to 30 years in prison on each count, O'Neill says in a statement. As part of a plea agreement, Haynes has agreed to a money judgment of nearly $1 million. The judgment of at least $990,498 represents proceeds of his activity, O'Neill says.
A sentencing date has not yet been set. Haynes was indicted in September.
The real estate services director for Hillsborough County made misrepresentations in connection with loan applications and closing documents for two personal mortgages, officials said. The mortgages were for the purchase of nine land lots in Tennessee. The mortgages were funded by interstate wires from a federally insured bank, and the closing was conducted by mail, officials noted.
According to federal documents, the scheme to defraud developed in late 2006, when Haynes devised a plan to obtain mortgage money from SunTrust Bank. In the Sept. 20, 2012 indictment against him, officials said he signed applications for a $450,000 loan and for a $562,500 loan from SunTrust Mortgage.
In the application, Haynes misrepresented his income and the purchase price, as well as earnest money deposits, according to the September indictment. SunTrust wired more than $990,000 to Haynes in Brandon, while TMM Group LLC wired $162,500 to a Haynes account in Tampa, according to the federal documents.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelley C. Howard-Allen.
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